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power. Yet, whatever may be the natural 

 character or abilities of the man, he neither 

 deserves praise nor censure, for he is but 

 what nature made him. We further per- 

 ceive that real virtue consists in the efforts 

 which we make to cultivate our talents, ra- 

 tional powers, and moral sentiments, and 

 to educate and control the inferior pro- 

 pensities of our nature, so as to allow to 

 each only its proper sphere and mode of 

 action, thereby rendering our conduct con- 

 formable to the acknowledged laws of mo- 

 ral rectitude and religious obligation. And, 

 if we were to examine our own conduct 

 and that of others by this test, we should 

 probably discover but little, in the former, 

 which we are warranted warmly to approve, 

 or in the latter, strongly to condemn. Na- 

 ture has not only given to man good and 

 honourable sentiments, but also made it 

 his highest gratification to employ and in- 

 dulge them ; so that we rarely deny our- 



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